


Eden Counseling Service

by Tara_Moeller_69



Series: The Crossroads Center [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Canon Compliant, Counseling, Destiel Day, M/M, Marriage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-20
Updated: 2015-09-20
Packaged: 2018-04-22 11:25:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4833593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tara_Moeller_69/pseuds/Tara_Moeller_69
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's just your average day until Cas and Dean show up for their marriage counseling session.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Eden Counseling Service

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TheAuthorGod](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheAuthorGod/gifts).



> DISCLAIMER: unbeta'd, unedited, unproofed. Not my characters, but they're doing what I tell them to do.

The woman behind the desk - her desk plaque read 'Dorothy Sanders - reception' in italic Times New Roman - looked up through thick mascaraed lashes. "You two are the ten o'clock appointment?"  
  
"Yeah." Dean cleared his throat and stared out the window behind the woman. He and Cas were reflected in the panes, one on each edge of the window, green birch leaves fluttering in the space between their translucent features.  
  
"It's for marriage counseling?" The woman glanced down at the appointment calendar, like she thought she'd misread the neat printed script.  
  
"Yes, we know." Cas' voice was gruff, too, but also indignant. After all, he'd been the one to call and make the appointment. He'd explained then that it was to resolve problems in a marriage  
  
"You're married?" The woman tapped her pencil on the table. It was a mechanical pencil, the plastic tip missing the eraser, teeth-marks and red lipstick stain coating the end.  
  
"Yes." They answered in unison.  
  
"And you already need counseling?" The marriage equality law hadn't been in place that long.  
  
"The reason we need counseling is because we got married." Dean shifted and shoved his thumbs in the front pockets of his jeans, dropping his gaze to rest on the psychology books on the low shelf next to the closed door. He raised his eyes to the brass sign:  
  
Joshua Eden - counselor  
  
"It's not because we got married. It's because you don't like being married."  
  
"Marriage changed us."  
  
"I haven't changed, you have!"  
  
Dean spun around, Cas moving just as quickly to confront him in the ever-protected personal space.  
  
"Boys!" The woman behind the desk jumped from her seat and it veered back to rattle against the window pane. She moved her hands in an up and down motion she probably though would calm them down. Her voice shook. "Save it for Dr. Eden."  
  
Dean and Cas backed down, each looking anywhere but at the other.  
  
The secretary tapped a button on her phone.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Your ten o'clock is here."  
  
"Thank you, Dorothy. Send them in, please."  
  
The woman glanced up from the phone, her eyes darting left and right. "It's a him and a him."  
  
There was silence on the intercom followed by a sigh. "I know, Dorothy. Please send the Misters Winchester in."

Joshua Eden's office was a circle of bookshelves, the horizontal surfaces sagging under a chaos of books and plants. Old books with crumbling leather covers wedged next to new books with shiny paper covers. Any space not brimming with books held a plant, the green leaves fat and glossy.  
  
Sam would have had a fit.  
  
Dr. Eden stood, his smile displaying perfectly formed white teeth. His arms extended - one hand to each of them.  
  
Dean took the man's right hand in his own and squeezed, offering a firm shake before dropping himself into one of the two chairs in front of the desk. The arm of his chair almost touched the arm of the other chair. He shifted it left, the legs snagging in the carpet, leaving dark ruts in the shag.  
  
Cas took the man's left hand, offering a half smile before taking the other chair. He didn't move his own chair, but glanced down at the ragged lines in the rug. He shot a glance at Dean, his eyes darkening in hurt.  
  
"So, how long have you two been together?"  
  
"We got married three months ago."  
  
"We met seven years ago."  
  
"Ah." Dr. Eden scribbled on a note pad.  
  
"He wanted to know how long we've been together, Dean. We had the ceremony three months ago. Remember? Sam walked you down the aisle."  
  
"We were together before that. It all started when..." Dean glanced up at the attentive counselor, "well, you know, when you dragged me out."  
  
"We weren't a couple then."  
  
"Right." Dean slumped down and stared at the spine of a leather-bound book. He cocked his head to read the title: "Psychological Reasoning with the Angsty Teenager".  
  
"Well, we weren't." Cas snorted and glared at the doctor. "He does this all the time."  
  
"Then why did you marry him?"  
  
Cas shrugged. "I used to think it was endearing. And he didn't used to do it all the time. Just... sometimes."  
  
"Dean?"  
  
Dean stayed silent a moment, then stretched his legs out, only to bend them again and bounce his knee. "We were together before we got married. Getting married changed things."  
  
"What kind of things?" Dr. Eden scribbled on his pad again.  
  
"We used to do stuff. I mean, important stuff. Life-changing stuff. Now we don't."  
  
"Life-changing?" Dr. Eden's hand froze over the pad, the ink from his pen making a bee-blot on the paper.  
  
Cas frowned at the spreading ink. "Well, yeah. We helped people. Took care of things for them."  
  
"And you don't do that anymore?" Dr. Eden's hand shifted and he wrote again.  
  
"No." Dean leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes, letting his head fall back. "We don't."  
  
"Why not?" Dr. Eden stopped writing and set his pen down, looking at Cas.  
  
But Cas wasn't watching the doctor, his eyes were trained on Dean, a slight frown dipping his dark brows down. "We've been, well, busy being married."  
  
"See?" Dean shot up, white fingers gripping the arms of the chair. "Getting married changed you."  
  
"I thought it's what you wanted. When you were with Lisa and Ben, you didn't-" Cas glanced at the doctor, "you know, you cut the grass and fixed the gutters and had a job."  
  
"That was with Lisa and Ben. They couldn't, well, do what we do. Lisa couldn't handle it and Ben was too young. I couldn't, well, leave him, you know. Like Dad left me and Sam."  
  
"Oh." Cas frowned down at the floor. "So you want to not be married?"  
  
"If marriage means domesticity - yeah. We were together before. Marriage didn't make that any more real."  
  
"It did in the eyes of God." Cas' eyes glowed just a bit when he stared at Dean.  
  
"It doesn't to me. I mean, Lisa and Ben was nice, but it was more for Sam than for me."  
  
"For Sam?" Dr. Eden leaned forward, clasping his hands on the messy notepad. "An old boyfriend?"  
  
"My brother." Dean's growl forced the doctor to retreat, pressing back into his office chair hard enough it bumped the low bookcase behind him.  
  
"Because he asked you to?" Dr. Eden's voice cracked like he was holding in laughter.  
  
"Yeah." Dean frowned at the counselor but leaned toward Cas, fingers twining together when he dropped his hands between his knees. "He wanted me to be happy."  
  
"I thought you were happy with them." Cas leaned forward too, his hands clenching on his thighs.  
  
Dean shrugged. "I was. But it was more like a dream, not real."  
  
Dr. Eden nodded. "What is real, Dean?"  
  
Dean started, looking at the counselor like he'd forgotten the man was even there. "The job. Sam." He glanced away. "Being with Cas."  
  
"Cas? What do you think is real?"  
  
"This world. Sam. And Dean - especially Dean."  
  
Dr. Eden nodded and rose. "Well, our session is over for today. Let me check with Dorothy for an available slot for our next session." He strode around the table and through the door, snicking it shut behind him.  
  
"Huh." Dean rubbed his forehead. "How much did this cost again?"  
  
"Don't worry. I used one of your credit cards."  
  
"Okay." Dean let his gaze roam the room, resting on the local paper. Splashed across the front was an account of a recent death by animal mauling.  
  
Cas saw it, too, and picked it up.  
  
They looked at each other and nodded.  
  
Dean took the paper, folded it, and stuck it beneath his jacket just as Dr. Eden re-entered the office.  
  
"Well, I have an opening for next Wednesday at three in the afternoon."  
  
"Sounds great." Dean stretched and grinned and held out a hand. "Thanks for all the help doc."  
  
"Yes," Cas extended his own hand, "you've been most helpful."  
  
"Please confirm the appointment with Dorothy."  
  
Dean nodded and rushed the door; Cas followed at a more sedate pace, nodding at the doctor before passing through the opening.  
  
Dr. Eden sat in his chair, skimming over his notes.  
  
"Sir?" Dorothy peeked through the door.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"They left without scheduling."  
  
Dr. Eden glanced to the empty space on his side table where the newspaper used to lay. "That's fine, Dorothy. I think they got what they needed in one session."

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by [cockleddean's](cockleddean.tumblr.com) photo taken after a pancake breakfast at Denny's. They didn't have pie.
> 
>  


End file.
